closed.

[atonally]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Redvers
RECIPIENT: Barrow, Cedric, Mobius, Vanya
NOTES: Templar Club No Mage Cooties Allowed

[ Typically quiet on the crystals, in the style of an old man who only has a flip phone and doesn't text, in the midst of all the hubbub Redvers rouses himself all the way into figuring out how to do a multi-person private message. Where is his award. ]

Who has experience with Envy?

Comments

[thereneverwas]

Dunno that I've got much with the demons themselves--

[apart from the Pride that he and Mobius blew off, but,]

--mostly in Abomination form. Not sure I remember the protocol for sniffing out a shapechanger.

[atonally]

If there ever was one, everyone at Theirinfal Redoubt forgot it, too, so you're in decent company.

[ Maybe when everyone is looking for people acting strange isn't the right time for him to say something nice and non-ragging to Barrow? But he has more important things to do than hassle him for being a feckless deserter right now. ]

[thereneverwas]

[excuse you he has plenty of fecks]

That's,

...true.

[atonally]

[ name one feck ]

[dissolving]

Wasn't there a Rift in the Gallows, not long back? Could a small spirit recognize something bigger, you think?

[atonally]

Not sure I follow. The Rift that elf came through?

[dissolving]

Yeah. The spirits that came through with him - did any of them act any different? Could be something got through then. Don't know how a wisp or a shade'd react to something powerful on its heels.

[atonally]

It was terror and wraiths, mostly. A little chaotic but nothing out of the ordinary I noticed.

[ Granted, he was more focused on the new arrival's strange magic, and the circumstances—alone in the courtyard with an elf who fainted not long after arrival, while the other anchor-bearers just hung out of windows during a pause in their paperwork—didn't afford him much time for pausing to examine and take stock. ]

Not a bad place to look. The rifter is talking about shapeshifters where he's from, too. If they're thoughts, [ rifters in general, ] might be a thought that followed him out.

[dissolving]

[ if that's true, ]

I'll start meditating on lovely flowers before bed. Don't s'pose you remember who helped close it?

[ he does not expect the rifter to. man seems addled ]

[atonally]

Me, the dead kid,

[ to be a pessimist about the real Benedict Artemaeus' whereabouts, ]

and the skinny one from Research.

Viktor.

[dissolving]

Thanks, I'll follow up. The healer - Strange - is starting a list.

[ confidential vs public, that'll have to settle for a compromise. ]

As leadership gets cleared, we can make sure they know.

[dissolving]

Nothing firsthand. Heard it's a runner, not much in a straight fight.

[atonally]

Aye.

Rutyer might have the right of it, but maybe we should try herding everyone into the courtyard and arming who we're sure of before we start making anyone feel cornered.

[dissolving]

Scoutmaster's got folks grouping. Think you've got the right of arming folks when they're clear, but -

[ a big group is a lot of potential distractions ]

- You know more on the discipline around here. If it accuses someone, how orderly is that gonna proceed?

[atonally]

Don't know about orderly, but most of them like each other too much to stab before they're sure. Probably cry while they do it even if they are.

[favoriteanalyst]

Honestly, Rutyer attempting in some way to seem genuinely helpful is unusual in itself, but seems it's also personal for him. But I don't like the public name and shame front. Sure, most tend to get along, but one false accusation, bad blood'll start to form, and that is not what we need right now.

[thereneverwas]

Then our best chance is in working out a way to test suspects. Or everyone.

[dissolving]

Think we should include ourselves there.

[thereneverwas]

Aye, indeed.

[favoriteanalyst]

Barrow and I should be able to clear each other, but if need be I know we've got people outside this club who can do the same. You got any close contacts on hand for yourself, Carsus?

I know it's not the best way to test, asking questions and vouching for each other, but until we've got something more solid...

[dissolving]

Known Orlov longer than all this,

[ which is its own potential problem, ]

But it's been years, and the one doing Artemaeus saw my full records. I don't want to bench myself, but might make sense - I've got nothing to vouch. Reckon you should all be aware of that at least.

[atonally]

You're alright. Just don't make yourself hard to keep an eye on.

[dissolving]

At least Averesch is out.

[ - off-hand. a medium would be useful. at what cost. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

Rarer type of demon that doesn't like to show whatever face it happens to have. They don't train most in it specifically. Which is a damn shame, given.

I'll pull out some texts, see what I can find.

[dissolving]

If you can get anything on the shapechanging - be good to know how quick that goes. If it's gotta, I don't know. Molt, if there's any way to catch it between.

[thereneverwas]

One would hope there's opportunity for a good magic-dispelment, but that's only if it's... I don't know. Familiar magic. Demons are demons for a reason.

[dissolving]

You're right, but sounds they were beating the first one down pretty easy without -

[ that captain rowntree can handle a demon is both good and bad news for everyone ]

[favoriteanalyst]

He--it was already pretty soundly knocked around before they got started on that front.

[dissolving]

If you're both still on lyrium,

[ he assumes, from the way they're talking ]

Makes sense to separate us all, spread it around. Post with one of the groups forming, or an area of the Gallows - get somewhere in a hurry, if something goes down nearby. You're in the Library already?

[favoriteanalyst]

I am. [In the library and on lyrium.] I expect I'll be holed up here for a bit until needed.

[dissolving]

Good, that's the Central Tower covered. I'll hang 'round the courtyard. Shout if you turn something up.

[thereneverwas]

I'm in the library with one of the new arrivals, but we'll make our way down to the dining hall. Maybe see if we can get a group forming.

[wearyallalone]

I've fought them before. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I can make some notes of things to look for to distribute more widely if that would help.

Cedric is right, though. Cowardly things, more inclined to hide than fight. Possibly cowed for a bit, now that everyone's on alert. And, at least, probably not too many. The jealousy tends to drive them apart when they try to act in larger packs. If the infiltration has been at any length, two seems the most likely stable number.

[atonally]

Hm.

What about the ones who caught it? Could have been some infighting or self-preservation at work, if the dead one was causing trouble or about to ruin it.

[wearyallalone]

Alarming. I hadn't thought of it, but possible. It would seem risky to draw attention that way, but if there was sufficient infighting. If one or more of the ones who caught it were also demons, maybe they wanted it dead after exposure to prevent potential interrogation.

[atonally]

Aye.

The Scoutmaster would be the worst news, [ involved as she seems to be in everything now, and as trusted to know everyone else's secrets, ] so we should start with her.

[dissolving]

Where was it you fought them?

[ #just curious ]

[wearyallalone]

[If he's insulted, it doesn't show in his voice.]

In Nevarra, before the war. Mortalitasi run into demons trying to possess corpses; pride and envy were most common, and I was called in as support occasionally.

[dissolving]

Important work,

[ says the boy from nevarra city, ]

Reckon they need it more'n ever. Let's forward those notes, after we get all this settled.